Ice Green Eyes
by Lilac Winters21
Summary: A girl with a strange power shows up at Will's doorstep in a startling manner, and has a surprising request for him.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so this is my first fanfic, so if I make formatting errors or something, I'm sorry, I'm still getting used to the system. **

**The idea for this fic came about ages ago, way before I knew that a twelfth book was going to exist. It took a while to get on paper though, so for this fic, assume that the events of the twelfth book never happened/won't happen. This basically takes place a few years after the end of _The Lost Stories_, so assume that not much has changed since then. Also, it will contain spoilers for various books in the series. **

**Oh, and here's a disclaimer: I don't own Ranger's Apprentice, because I am not an amazing writer like John Flanagan is. **

**I guess that's about it, so**** please enjoy the story!**

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A cloaked figure on a horse cantered down the dusty road, a silhouette against the setting sun. His silent form gave no hint of where he'd been, but it was clear from the determined manner with which he urged his horse on that he had a clear destination, and was in a hurry to get there. He seemed indifferent to his current surroundings, though the few people-mostly farmers finishing up work in the fields-that the rider passed were certainly not indifferent to him. They looked up at him with respect as well as a little fear. The rider heard whispers and low voices as those he passed discussed his return amongst themselves; he heard snatches that often contained his name, or the word "Ranger". He gave no sign that he heard any of the gossip, however, as he continued down the road. The face of the rider was hidden in the deep cowl of his cloak, but even if it had been seen his countenance would have given nothing away about his thoughts.

This changed, however, when the rider entered the forest that the path led into. Will Treaty allowed a wide grin to break out on his face as he urged Tug into a gallop, his cowl falling back off his head. He was just returning from a mission, and he was looking forward to seeing Alyss after their two month separation. Their marriage had been punctuated by separation, due to both Will's Ranger duties and Alyss's diplomatic missions, and though they both hated being apart, it made the time that they did have together all the more precious. And that was why his already huge grin grew even larger as Will rode up to the little cabin. He knew it was late enough that Alyss would probably have finished with her duties for the day and would be home.

He stabled Tug, groomed him, and made sure that the horse was fed. He was surprised that Alyss hadn't come out to greet him. As he entered, Ebony rushed up to greet him, barking loudly, but the cabin was otherwise deserted. Surprised, Will saw a note sitting on the table, and walked over to pick it up. _Dear Will,_ it read in Alyss's elegant handwriting,

_I know you're coming home today, and I'm sorry to have missed you. Unfortunately, a situation has come up with Hibernia. King Duncan is sending a group of Couriers to try to sort the problem out, and unfortunately that includes me. I don't know exactly how long I'll be gone, but it will be at least a month. I'm sorry I couldn't wait for you, but the king needed us to be ready to leave immediately. Hopefully, we'll come to a solution soon, and I'll be able to come home._

_Love, Alyss_

Will sighed as he read the note. The little cabin seemed less inviting whenever Alyss was away. Putting the note down, he started making his dinner. It wouldn't exactly be the dinner he'd imagined, he thought morosely. He set a pot of water boiling to make coffee-he needed something to perk him up since Alyss wasn't there-and made other preparations for dinner. He walked around the cabin, noting it was in a slight state of disarray. Alyss must have been busy before she left, Will thought. He returned to the kitchen area and continued getting food ready, lighting a lamp as it began to get dark outside.

Will had just finished cleaning up his meal and was beginning to tidy up the cabin when he heard hoof beats outside. He quickly strung his bow, grabbed his quiver, and wondering why Tug hadn't called out a warning, carefully eased the cabin's door open and slid out. Though the light had faded significantly, he could clearly see a silhouette of a horse and rider stopping in front of his door. As his eyes adjusted to the relative darkness Will realized with shock that the horse was Tug, but the rider was a girl he had never seen before. Will blinked, wondering if the darkness was playing tricks on him, but what he saw in front of him didn't change; a tall teenage girl with dark hair was sitting bareback on Tug. And Tug was calmly allowing her to sit on him, with a bucking, rider tossing fit nowhere in sight. Why was the small horse allowing the rider? Had she somehow discovered his code phrase? The girl herself looked calm and unruffled as Will drew an arrow and aimed it at her chest.

"Get off my horse, or I'll shoot," Will said as he looked her in the eye, trying to indicate that he meant his threat.

"No," the girl replied, sounding almost...amused, Will noted with surprise, "You won't. You're going to stop moving and put down your bow."

Will felt his hands open of their own accord, and the bow and the arrow tumbled to the ground. He found he couldn't look away from the girl's strange, icy green eyes, or move a single muscle in his body.

"My name," The girl calmly stated, "is Netra Orenda. And I want to be your apprentice".

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**So that's the first chapter! I'll probably make the others longer, but I really wanted to end this one here. So, what do you think? Please review, and don't be afraid to be critical, I can't improve unless you tell me what I'm doing wrong! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

A million thoughts were running through Will's mind, chief among them being about the girl's strange control over him. He thought about when Alyss had once talked about her experience when she was held prisoner in Castle Macindaw. She had talked about the blue stone Keren had that had made her reveal secrets and obey him. She had spoken of how felt compelled to obey Keren, and how the stone had utterly taken control of her mind. This was nothing like that, he thought to himself. As far as he could tell, his mind was still clear, and his thoughts were still his own. He didn't feel compelled to do what the girl told him. His body simply wouldn't obey him. He simply couldn't make his arms move to pick up the bow and string an arrow, or tear his eyes away from the girl's. He had no idea what was going on. Then, the girl's request registered itself in his mind, and a million more questions ran through his mind. He opened his mouth to demand she tell him what was going on, but she beat him to it.

"Just hear me out," she stated, and looked like she was going to continue on before Will interrupted her.

"Do I have a choice?" He asked curiously.

"Well, no," the girl-Netra-replied, "but I thought it sounded nice to ask," She continued on.

"You have to let me be your apprentice. Please". She added the 'please' on the end almost as an afterthought, but Will could see a flash of desperation in her eyes.

"Why do you want to be a ranger so badly?" Will asked. Since he couldn't do anything about his situation, he'd decided to go with it for the moment.

"I've seen what rangers in action. The good they can do, the evil they can stop. Yes, I know that there are no female rangers, but I honestly don't care. I've seen enough evil that I know I want-I need, to fight it". The girl ended with a sense of finality. Will was surprised, and also impressed, by her answer. He sensed that there was more to the story than she was telling him, but he also thought that what she had said so far was the truth. He let none of his thoughts show on his face, however, as he replied to her with something that had been bothering him throughout the conversation.

"Why even bother asking me? Why not just force me to do it?" He asked, thinking of how she was controlling him at the moment.

"I can't. And even if I could, I wouldn't. It just...wouldn't be right," She replied, an angry look in her eyes.

Interesting, Will thought, so she does have some morals. He pushed away the thought.

"I really don't want an appren-"

He stopped as he saw the look of despair that entered the girl's eyes as he started to refuse. He realized that her eyes seemed much older than she was, filled with shadows and darkness, as though she had seen terrible things that burdened her still. Something about that look made him instinctively want to trust her. He knew the feeling could be more of whatever she was using to control him, but he didn't think so. Will's instincts were generally good, and he was inclined to trust them, though he really wasn't sure what he was about to get into. He sighed, saying,

"You can stay here for a week," Will said, not at all sure about what he was doing, "If I think you've got the aptitude to be a Ranger, I'll take you on as my apprentice". A huge, joyful smile lit up Netra's face, and the shadows in her eyes dimmed. She opened her mouth to say something—probably thanking him—but Will cut her off.

"Don't thank me yet; you may find that you hate me by the end of this week. Becoming a Ranger is no easy task".

"Oh, don't worry," she replied, "After everything I've been through, I don't consider anything hard anymore". Will was about to comment on this, but realized he had a more pressing matter at hand.

"Do you think you could let me go?" He asked the girl.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I was still binding you," she replied. She looked away as she swung herself off Tug, and Will stumbled forward, almost falling, the muscles he hadn't realized were tense relaxing themselves.

"What was that?" Will asked after he regained his balance.

"Well, generally a person's muscles tense up when they try to do something, but I'm binding them so they can't, and then when I let them go they-" Will cut her off.

"Not me falling. What you did with your eyes. How you controlled me. Binding, you just called it. How did you do it?" Netra looked uncomfortable. Will could tell it was a topic she didn't enjoy discussing.

"As your master, this is something I really need to know," he told her. She sighed, saying,

"I guess you do have the right to be told. I don't really know how I do it. It's just an ability I was born with. When I touch people or make eye contact with them, I can make them do what I want. I can control bodies, Ariel can control thoughts…" Netra trailed off. The sorrow was back in her eyes.

"Who's Ariel?" Will asked.

"She's my twin sister". Will noticed the sadness in her voice and didn't comment any more on it. He realized that this power she had described was also how she been able to mount Tug without a code phrase. She had bound the horse with her touch. Changing the subject, he told her to go inside and put her things away—he'd noticed she had a small pack he hadn't seen at first-in the empty room while he stabled Tug. The girl nodded quickly and went in, handing Tug's reigns to Will as she passed him. Tug snorted at her as she passed.

_I don't like her. _

"You just don't like that she got the better of you," Will replied quietly, so Netra wouldn't hear. Tug snorted again.

_You shouldn't have taken her as an apprentice. She'll be nothing but trouble. _

"You'll change your mind as soon as she gives you an apple," Will retorted. Tug responded by violently shaking his head in the way that horses do. Will sighed. He knew he never got the last word with his horse. He led him back to the small lean-to next to the cabin. After, he walked back to the cabin and carefully opened the door to the room that now belonged to Netra. She was lying on the bed, asleep. Will realized she must have been exhausted. He quietly closed the door, deciding to let her sleep. He could figure out things with her in the morning.

He considered the girl as he walked to a chair by the fire. She looked like she was about 15, so she was the right age to be an apprentice. She had appeared to be nimble when she had dismounted from Tug, which would be to her advantage as a Ranger. On the other hand, she was tall, and Rangers generally were slightly built. He could tell she had some secrets as well. She didn't look at all like a noble, but she hadn't seemed at all afraid of him as a Ranger, though most commoners were convinced that Rangers practiced black magic. She'd also been willing to steal a Ranger's horse and ride it in front of him, an act that most people, common and even noble, would have never dreamed of. She was definitely hiding something, though he wasn't sure what. And on top of all that, she was, well, a girl. There had never been a female Ranger that he knew of, and he didn't know if he would be allowed to train a girl as an apprentice. He knew he could still back out of it—all he had to do was send her away at the end of the week. He knew he couldn't do that, though. The look in her eyes had been desperate and lonely, and he knew he had to help her; no matter how hard training her was going to be.

**And that's chapter 2! I'm not sure how much I liked this chapter, so please review and tell me what I can do to improve it. I might go back and change it if I get some good suggestions. Also: Netra's talent is called binding now, but if anyone can come up with a better name for it I will seriously consider it. Thanks for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

Netra woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking. That was something that hadn't happened for a long time, not since… But she didn't need to be thinking about her past now. She was slightly embarrassed that she'd accidentally fallen asleep while she was unpacking her things, but she'd simply been exhausted. She had been walking all day to reach Will's cabin, and after that, the binding had taken a lot out of her. Binding two at the same time-Will and Tug-had been difficult. It was something that she hadn't had to do since before-no, she was not going to think about the past. Netra shook her head, as if trying to get rid of her memories, stretched and got out of bed. She smoothed her hair down, tugged on her rumpled clothes in a mostly unsuccessful attempt to look more presentable, and walked out the door. She was greeted with the sight of Will setting breakfast out on the table.

Will gestured for her to sit down, and he placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her. He also handed her a mug of coffee. After muttering her thanks, she tore into the food, realizing she hadn't eaten since the morning of the previous day. When Will refilled her plate she didn't notice that he was giving her the food he had intended for himself. Will sat down in the chair next to her with a mug of coffee, waiting while Netra finished eating.

"So, some rules," he said as she finished, trying to sound like he knew what he was doing, "First and foremost, you do not use your 'binding' on me. I am your master—or I will be if I accept you—and I need to be the one in charge, not you. You need to do whatever I ask, without question. I'll show you some basics in unseen and silent movement, shooting, and using knives, and if I think you can learn to be adequate, you can stay as my apprentice". He realized that his statement didn't actually have that many rules, and hesitated, searching his mind for anything he'd missed. Deciding there wasn't, he went on.

"The first thing you can do," he said, "Is wash the breakfast dishes. After that you can sweep the floors, beat the carpets and chop the firewood". He was mentally recalling the list of chores that Halt had given him on his first day as an apprentice. He also remembered Halt assigning him to fill the water barrel, but he'd already done that this morning before he'd cooked breakfast.

Netra didn't look pleased to be doing chores, but obviously didn't want to complain about the opportunity she had been given. She ran to start doing the dishes, and Will took his coffee cup and moved to a seat by the fire. He now realized why Halt had always said he enjoyed having apprentices. An easy morning while Netra did his chores was a very pleasant prospect indeed.

Netra wished she knew what was going on. She knew how to do chores well enough, but she'd expected her training as a Ranger's apprentice to be a little more...exciting. Also, the sight of Will siting by the fire sipping coffee while she did all of his chores annoyed her slightly. Didn't he realize all that she'd gone through to find him, and how much she'd risked in her display the night before? She hadn't done all that just so she could do his chores for him. Why on earth was he having her do anyway? She didn't see how it was related to Ranger skills at all. Maybe, she thought, this was some sort of test. A test of what, she had no idea. She sighed and continued scrubbing plates.

Throughout the morning, Netra followed Will's list of chores while Will looked through reports. Though she didn't realize it, Will was observing her and how she did the various tasks. He was impressed that she hadn't complained once, and he was impressed at how quickly she was doing the chores. She seemed strong and healthy, and she wasn't avoiding the work. When lunch time came around, and the girl was about done with the chores, Will, recalling another of Halt's lessons to him, asked Netra if she knew how to cook. When she looked down, he could tell she didn't. So he set about teaching her, showing her various ingredients and how to prepare them, the result being a delicious looking stew. While they waited for the stew to cook, they sat at the table, talking.

"What do you know about about Rangers?" He asked her, wanting to know how much he would need to explain to her. She must have know something about Rangers, since she had a desperate wish to become one.

"Why don't you just explain everything to me, so I can tell what is truth and what is rumor out of my previous knowledge?" Later, Will would realize she had completely dodged the question and avoided telling him how much prior knowledge she had, but though he would ponder it later, for now he was caught up with the business of being a master. He explained to her about how the Rangers protected the kingdom, how they gathered information and enforced the law, and how they acted as generals in times of war. Netra, throughout the whole speech, said nothing, and only nodded occasionally, though she appeared to be listening attently. It was impossible to tell if the girl had ever heard the information before from the blank expression on her face. At least that expression would serve her well as a Ranger, Will thought, even if he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

The rest of the day passed all too slowly for Netra. After they had eaten lunch, Will, wanting to see how fit she was, had made her run what felt like miles through the forest while he followed, riding on Tug. The running wasn't difficult-she'd spent all too much time running in the past-but it was still exhausting. Along with the physical stress, there was the metal strain from the knowledge of Will following and judging her. In the past, she'd always known that, if she messed up, her powers would always allow for her to change the situation to suit her, to give her a second chance. For the first time in her life, that wasn't an option. She knew Will would throw her out if she tried to bind him, and he was her only chance. If the famous Will Treaty rejected her, she doubted any other Ranger would accept her. So, when it began to grow dark and Will allowed her to go back to her room, she collapsed on her bed, exhausted both physically and mentally, and was asleep within minutes. I have to become a Ranger, Netra thought as she drifted off to sleep. And if Will doesn't reject me, I have a chance.

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**I'm sorry this took so long! I'll try to be better about posting frequently in the future. I would have been able to post it last night, but the website was being stupid and wouldn't let me post... But yeah. Thanks for reading and please review! And thanks to everyone who's already reviewed!**


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